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LOS ANGELES (CBS ) – Several small white dogs were dumped next to the Imperial Highway and into oncoming traffic last Wednesday.

Witnesses describe the scene as “complete mayhem.” Several, small, white, terrier-type dogs swerved in and out of traffic on the Imperial Highway (State Route-90), a popular route between eastern Los Angeles and the beach communities next to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Witnesses also report hearing brakes screech and watching one of the dogs get hit, dragged 20 feet, and then come out from underneath the vehicle behind. The first driver did not stop.

Throughout the six-hour saga Wednesday night, there were approximately two dozen local residents helping to rescue and save the dogs.

Michelle Friedman, a local paramedic nurse, was on her way home when she saw one of the dogs running loose along the side of the road. She described a scene in which at least three pairs of dogs had begun to mate, making it difficult to capture and separate them.

“I went really slow, put on my hazards to keep other cars from passing me and I opened the door to grab him, then he ran into oncoming traffic,” Friedman said. “I went to the next corner and pulled over and along with a couple others who had stopped, we tried to keep them corralled while police were on their way. It was a nightmare.”

With a popular dog park so close in the vicinity, some speculated whether the dogs were dumped with the intention of them making it to the dog park for refuge and rescue. However, according to a dialogue on Facebook following the incident, a couple of witnesses reported seeing a white van traveling down the busy highway, then pull off to the side around 6:30 p.m. and dump approximately 15 dogs. Those witnesses could not be tracked down and the information cannot be corroborated at this time.

The El Segundo Police Department dispatched two officers to assist and they took six dogs to the South Bay Pet Adoption Center SPCA in Hawthorne.

Animal advocate Kim Sill, who along with Rock and Rescue is overseeing the care of dog who was hit – temporarily named Carson. Pending a full recovery, he will be re-homed through the Bark n Bitches organization.

Cesar Millan, also known as the Dog Whisperer is working with Sill’s organization to help police find additional information about this act of cruelty. Any donations made to the Millan Foundation’s DEAR Fund between now and May 10, 2011 will be given to Carson’s care. Sill’s organization D Cups Saving Tea Cups is offering a $3,500 reward for information that leads to the identification and arrest of the individual responsible for this act of cruelty. And Katherine Heigl’s Foundation has added another $1500 reward on top of that.